Following an impressive string of summer league performances, the Chicago Bulls have signed point guard Yuki Kawamura to a two-way contract per ESPN’s Shams Charania. To make room for the 5-foot-8 guard, the Bulls have subsequently waived Jahmir Young, who was signed to a two-way deal in February.

Kawamura averaged 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2.2 steals in 23.9 minutes per game across five appearances for the summer league Bulls. Kawamura ranked seventh amongst summer league participants in assists and 20th in steals.

The Japanese guard’s best performance left a lasting impression. Kawamura scored 20 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out 10 assists in Chicago’s summer league finale against the Utah Jazz. He also knocked down six three-pointers, going 6-of-9 from distance.

The Bulls opted for Yuki Kawamura instead of Jahmir Young

While Young ultimately exceeded Yakamura’s counting stats, the diminutive floor general was far more consistent. Young’s best outing came against the Milwaukee Bucks, where he dropped 40 points, including a 7-of-8 performance from three-point range. Yet, aside from the breakout outing, Young totaled merely 28 points, shooting 40.7 percent from the floor and 25.0 percent from downtown.

Kawamura totaled two double-doubles and proved to be one of the exhibition season’s best playmakers. The 5-foot-8 floor general wowed with his prolific passing abilities, routinely setting up his teammates for easy finishes. Despite his small stature, Kawamura sees the floor extremely well and is one of the better anticipatory passers you’ll come across.

Kawamura joins Emanuel Miller and 55th overall pick Lachlan Olbrich as the Bulls’ three two-way signees. Although it’s fair to say Young outplayed both Miller and Olbrich, it’s evident that Chicago prioritized positional flexibility with its limited two-way slots. Kawamura is a point guard, Miller is a combo forward, and Olbrich is a big; thus, there are no redundancies.

The 24-year-old spent last season on a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. Kawamura averaged 1.6 points in 4.2 minutes per game for the Grizzlies, but 12.7 points and 8.4 assists for Memphis’ G-League affiliate, the Hustle.

Although Kawamura won’t likely see much playing time for the Chicago Bulls, he’ll get plenty of run with the Windy City Bulls. Moreover, the playmaker will draw a considerable amount of attention to Chicago’s G-League affiliate.

All in all, Kawamura’s second summer league was wildly successful. He proved to be much more than a fun story. The diminutive guard is an NBA-caliber player, and the Bulls rewarded him as such.